Salim

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

SALIM. —Mentioned only  John 3:23 ‘aenon near to Salim,’ to fix the place where John was baptizing, ‘because there was much water there.’ Scrivener’s edition of the Authorized Version gives as marginal references, ‘ Genesis 33:18? or  Joshua 15:23? or  1 Samuel 9:4?’; other editions only the last passage (where the text has Shalim, or rather Shaalim, in Heb. שׁעלים), the Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 only the first (margin). It is to be noticed that the former view is also that of Jerome, in his Liber interpret. Heb. Nom ., when he writes: ‘Salim pugilli sive volae aut ortus aquarum, quod brevius graece dicitur βρύοντα’; pugilli and volœ = שׁעלים. And before Jerome, Origen also explained in a similar way (on  John 10:39, p. 543 of the Berlin ed.): Αἰνὼν ὀφθαλμὸς βασάνου καὶ Σαλὴμ αὐτὸς ὁ ἀναβαίνων. In the Com. on  John 3:23 the new edition has in the text Σαλίμ but thinks in the apparatus that Σαλήμ would perhaps be better. With the view of a plural agrees the fact that most Manuscripts spell the ending -ειμ, and not -ημ, as in the Complutensian Polyglott; the latter spelling (Σαλήμ) would favour identification with שָׁלֵם. In the article aenon (vol. i. p. 35), most of the topographical identifications proposed for these places are discussed. We may add that αινων η εγγυς του σαλι‹μ› is entered already on the mosaic map of Madeba on the left bank of the Jordan, and that the oldest and most explicit discussion of these sites is found in the pilgrimage of the so-called Silvia of Aquitania (or Etheria of Spain), about 385. A special monograph was published in 1903 by C. Mommert ( aenon und Bethania die Taufstätten des Täufers, nebst einer Abhandlung über Salem die Königsstadt des Melchisedech , Leipzig), on which see G. H. Gilbert, AJTh [Note: JTh American Journal of Theology.] vii. 777; cf., further, Κλ. Μ. Κοικυλίδες: ὁ ἐν Ἰορδάνῃ τόπος τῆς βαπτίσεως τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ τὸ μοναστήριον τοῦ ἁγίου Προδρόμου (Jerusalem, 1905); also Löhr, ‘Wie stellt sich die neuere Palästinaforschung zu den geographischen Angaben des Johannesevangeliums,’ Deutsch-Evangelische Blätter , Dec. 1906.

When Silvia had finished Jerusalem, she wished to go ‘ad regionem Ausitidem’ to see ‘memoriam sancti Job.’ It took her eight days ( mansiones ) from Jerusalem to Carneas: ‘in quo itinere iens vidi super ripam Jordanis fluminis vallem pulchram satis et amœnam, abundantem vineis et arboribus, quoniam aquae multae ibi erant et optimae satis. Nam in ea valle vicus erat grandis qui appellatur nunc Sedima . In eo ergo vico, qui est in media planitie positus, in medio loco est monticulus non satis grandis, sed factus sicut solent esse tumbae, sed grandis: ibi ergo in summo ecclesia est.’ She inquires after the place, and receives the answer: ‘haec est civitas regis Melchisedech, quae dicta est ante Salem , unde nunc corrupto sermone, Sedima appellatur ipse vicus.’ For further details, amongst which is the statement that when people dig for foundations of new buildings, they find ‘aliquoties et de argento et aeramento modica frustella,’ the reader is referred to Silvia. She then remembered that in the Bible it was written: ‘Baptizasse sanctum Johannem in Enon juxta Salim.’ Therefore she inquired also after aenon, and was shown the place ‘in ducentis passibus … hortum pomarium valde amœnum, ubi ostendit nobis in medio fontem aquae optimae satis et purae, qui a semel integrum fluvium dimittebat. Habebat autem ante se ipse fons lacum, ubi parebat fuisse operatum sanctum Johannem baptistam. Tune dixit nobis ipse sanctus presbyter: In hodie hic hortus aliter non appellatur graeco sermone nisi eepos tu agiu Iohanni , id est quod vos dicitis latine “hortus sancti Johannis” ’ (for further particulars, see again the text). Going on for some time ‘per vallem Jordanis super ripam fluminis ipsius,’ the traveller sees after a little the town of the holy prophet Elia, ‘id est Thesbe,’ where his cave is, and also ‘memoria sancti Gethae,’ of whom we read in the Books of the Judges (this is, of course, Jephthah, and not Gad, as has been suggested by Mommert).

This localization of the two places agrees exactly with the statement of Eusebius that aenon was 8 miles south from Scythopolis (see vol. i. p. 35, and supply from the Berlin ed. p. 152, the reference to Procopins, who helps to fill up the lacuna in the Greek text with Σαλουμίας, just as Jerome reads). But instead of seeking the place west of the Jordan at Sheikh Salim , Mommert now seeks aenon east of it at ‘Ain Djirm (‘well of the leprosy’), at the foot of the hill ‘ Scharabil ,’ as he spells it, or ‘ Scharhabît ’ as it is spelt on the map of Fischer-Guthe, opposite to Tell Ridhgah , with which it has been identified hitherto.

We thus get the following identifications: (1) Tell Ridhgah , (2) Sharabil , (3) Salim east of Nâblus, (4) Wady Sulcim near Anata, (5) ‘Ain Karim , (6) Shilhim in the Negeb. A definite result has not been reached as yet; the identity of aenon and Bethany ( John 1:28 Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885) is not improbable.

Eb. Nestle.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

SALIM , near to which was Ænon (  John 3:23 ), lay on the west of Jordan (cf.   John 1:28;   John 3:26;   John 10:40 ). Ænon is placed by the Onomasticon eight Roman miles south of Scythopolis ( Beisân ), ‘near to Salim and Jordan.’ This points to the neighbourhood of the ruin Umm el-‘Amdân , with Tell er-Ridhghah on the north, where the tomb of Sheik Selîm probably preserves the ancient name. Ænon , ‘place of springs,’ we may find in the seven copious fountains near by. In Christ’s time the district belonged probably to Scythopolis, not to Samaria. The difficulties of other suggested identifications can be got over only by doing violence to the text (Cheyne, EBi [Note: Encyclopædia Biblica.] , s.v. ), or to the sense.

W. Ewing.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

 John 3:23. Named to mark the locality of Αenon ("fountains"), the scene of the last baptisms by John ( John 3:23). Eusebius and Jerome (Onomasticon) mention Salim as near Jordan, eight Roman miles S. of Scythepolis. Exactly agreeing with this is Salim, six English miles S. of Beisan and two miles W. of Jordan. A Mussulman's [Muslim's (?)] tomb on the northern base of Tell Redghah, near ruins, is called Sheykh Salim (Van de Velde, Syriac and Pal. ii. 345, section 6). John's progress was from S. to N., so that this would suitably be the scene of his last labours. The brook Wady Chasneh runs dose by, a fountain gushes out beside the wely, and rivulets run in all directions, answering to "there was much water there." (But (See Aenon .)

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Sa'lim. (Peace). A place named in  John 3:23, to denote the situation of Aenon, the scene of St. John's last baptisms; Salim being the well-known town, and Aenon was a place of fountain, s or other waters, near it. See Salem . The name of Salim has been discovered by Mr. Van Deuteronomy Velde, in a position exactly in accordance, with the notice of Eusebius, namely, six English miles south of Beisan , (Scythopolis), and two miles west of the Jordan. Near here is an abundant supply of water.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Salim ( Sâ'Lim ), Peace or Fountains? A place named to mark the locality of Ænon, where John baptized.  John 3:23. Some identify it with Salem. Eusebius and Jerome mention Salim as near the Jordan, eight Roman miles south of Scythopolis. Robinson suggested that it was identical with the village of Salim, three miles east of Nablûs.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Place near to AEnon where John was baptising.  John 3:23 . Supposed to be a village east of Shechem, still called Salim , 32 12' N, 35 19' E .

Holman Bible Dictionary

 John 3:23AenonJohn

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 John 3:23 Genesis 33:18

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A town near Enon and the Jordan, south of Bethshean,  John 3:23 .

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( Σαλείμ v.r. Σαλλειμ ; Vulg. Salim ), a place named ( John 3:23) to denote the situation of Aenon, the scene of John's last baptisms — Salim being the well known town or spot, and Aenon a place of fountains, or other water, near it. Christ was in Judaea ( John 3:22), and the whole scope of the passage certainly conveys the impression that John was near him, and consequently Salim was either in Judaea or close to its borders. The only direct testimony we possess is that of Eusebius and Jerome, who both affirm unhesitatingly ( Onom. "Aenon") that it existed in their day near the Jordan, eight Roman miles south of Scythopolis. Jerome adds (under "Salem") that its name was then Salumias. Elsewhere ( Ep. Ad Evangelum , § 7, 8) he states that it was identical with the Salem of Melchizedek. A tradition is mentioned by Reland (Paloestina, p. 978) that Salim was the native place of Simon Zelotes. This in itself seems to imply that its position was, at the date of the tradition, believed to be nearer to Galilee than to Judsea. Various attempts have been more recently made to determine the locality of this interesting spot, but the question can hardly yet be regarded as definitely settled.

1. Some (as Alford, Greek Test. ad loc.) propose Shilhim and Ain, in the arid country far in the south of Judaea, entirely out of the circle of associations of John or our Lord. Others identify it with the Shalim of  1 Samuel 9:4; but this latter place is itself unknown, and the name in Hebrew contains ע , to correspond with which the name in John should be Σεγαλείμ or Σααλείμ .

2. Dr. Robinson ( Bibl. Researches , 3, 333) suggests the modern village of Salim , three miles east of Nablufs; but this is no less out of the circle of John's ministrations, and is too near the Samaritans; and although there is some reason to believe that the village contains "two sources of living water" ( Ibid. p. 298), yet this is hardly sufficient for the abundance of deep water implied in the narrative. A writer in the Colonial Ch. Chronicles No. 126, 464, who concurs in this opinion of Dr. Robinson, was told of a village an hour east (?) of Salim "named Ain-un, with a copious stream of water." Lieut. Conder says (Tent Work in Palestine, 1, 92) that Wady Farah, in the locality in question, contains a succession of little but perennial springs, from which the water gushes out in a fine stream over a stony bed, and that the village of Ain-un lies five miles north of the stream.

3. Dr. Barclay ( City Of The Great King , p. 564) is filled with an "assured conviction" that Salim is to be found in Wady Seleim , and Aenon in the copious springs of Ain Farah ( Ibid. p. 559), among the deep and intricate ravines some five miles northeast of Jerusalem. This certainly has the name in its favor, and, if the glowing description and pictorial wood-cut of Dr. Barclay may be trusted, has water enough ( Ὕδατα Πολλά ) and of sufficient depth for the purpose. But the proximity to Jerusalem is a decided objection. (See Enon).

4. There is said to be a village called Salim in the plain of Mukhna, east of Nablis, which is probably the Shalem of  Genesis 33:18 (Porter, Handbook , p. 340; Robinson, Bibl. Researches , 2, 279); but it is too far north to suit the Gospel narrative; and, besides, it cannot be said of it "there is much water there." (See Shalem).

5. The name of Salim has been lately discovered by Van de Velde ( Syr. And Pal. 2 , 345) in a position exactly in accordance with the notice of Eusebius, viz. six English miles south of Beisan and two miles west of the Jordan. On the northern base of Tell Redghah is a site of ruins, and near it a Mussulman tomb, which is called by the Arabs Sheik Salim (see also Memoir , p. 345). Dr. Robinson (Bibl. Researches, 3, 333) complains that the name is attached only to a Mussulman sanctuary, and also that no ruins of any extent are to be found on the spot; but with regard to the first objection, even Dr. Robinson does not dispute that the name is there, and that the locality is in the closest agreement with the notice of Eusebius. As to the second, it is only necessary to point to Kefr-Saba, where a town (Antipatris), which so late as the time of the destruction of Jerusalem was of great size and extensively fortified, has absolutely disappeared. The career of the Baptist has been examined in a former part of this work, and it has been shown with great probability that his progress was from south to north, and that the scene of his last baptisms was not far distant from the spot indicated by Eusebius, and now recovered by Van de Velde. (See John); (See Jordan). Salim fulfils also the conditions implied in the name of Aenon (springs), and the direct statement of the text that the place contained abundance of water. "The brook of Wady Chusneh runs close to it, a splendid fountain gushes out beside the Wely, and rivulets wind about in all directions.... Of few places in Palestine could it so truly be said, ‘ Here is much water'" ( Syr. And Pal. 2 , 346). Drake, however, avers that "inquiries of the Arabs and fellahin of the district resulted in not a man of them even having heard of either of these places," i.e. Bir Salim and Sheik Salim ( Quar. Report Of The Pal. Explor. Fund , Jan. 1875, p. 82). (See Salem).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

sā´lim ( Σαλείμ , Saleı́m ): A place evidently well known, since the position of Aenon, the springs where John was baptizing, was defined by reference to it: they were "near to Salim" (  John 3:23 ). It must be sought on the West of the Jordan, as will be seen from comparison of  John 1:28;  John 3:26;  John 10:40 . Many identifications have been proposed: e.g. that of Alford with Shilhim and Ain in the South of Judah; that of Busching with ‛Ain Kārim , and that of Barclay, who would place Salim in Wâdy Suleim near ‛Anāta , making Aenon the springs in Wâdy Fār‛ah . These are all ruled out by their distance from the district where John is known to have been at work. If there were no other objection to that suggested by Conder ( Tent Work , 49 f) following Robinson ( BR , III, 333) with Sālim in the plain East of Nāblus , Aenon being ‛Ainūn in Wâdy Fār‛ah , it would be sufficient to say that this is in the very heart of Samaria, and therefore impossible. In any case the position of Aenon, 6 miles distant, with a high ridge intervening, would hardly be defined by the village of Sālim , with the important city of Shechem quite as near, and more easily accessible.

Onomasticon places Aenon 8 Roman miles South of Scythopolis ( Beisān ), near Salumias ( Sālim ) and the Jordan. This points to Tell Ridhghah , on the northern side of which is a shrine known locally as Sheikh Selı̄m . Not far off, by the ruins of Umm el - ‛Amdan , there are seven copious fountains which might well be called Aenon, "place of springs."

There is reason to believe that this district did not belong to Samaria, but was included in the lands of Scythopolis, which was an important member of the league of ten cities.

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Sa´lim, a place near Ænon, where John baptized . Nothing is known of this site.